


Second Thoughts

by Kaleidoscope_Carousel



Category: Arrow - Fandom
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-16
Updated: 2014-02-16
Packaged: 2018-01-12 18:21:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,410
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1194915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaleidoscope_Carousel/pseuds/Kaleidoscope_Carousel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Basically I didn't like how Heir to the Demon ended so I wrote a different ending. Introspective Sara, supportive Felicity. Spoilers for Heir to the Demon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Second Thoughts

At first she leaned into the kiss, wrapping her arms around Oliver’s neck and letting his warm mouth and strong hands chase away the fear, the stress, and the anguish of the day. She tried not to think, just feel, as Oliver backed her roughly up against one of the pillars in the Arrow Cave. If she concentrated hard enough on the feel of the stubble on his chin, his hands sliding up her back, if she could just focus on the kiss then maybe she could forget the anger in Laurel’s voice, the pain of the venom taking hold of her, and worst of all, the utter defeat in Nyssa’s eyes as she collapsed in her arms.

“Nyssa,” the whisper slipped past her lips almost without thought, caught between her lips and Oliver’s. The taste of it made her freeze, just for a second, but long enough for Oliver to notice something was wrong.

“Sara, are you alright?” He asked, lifting his face to look at her. She couldn’t return his gaze, as she placed her hands on his chest, and gently pushed him away.

“I’m sorry Ollie, I can’t do this. I can’t do this again.” She brushed past him, collecting her shirt and jacket from the floor of the basement, and almost ran up the steps.

He didn’t call after her.

If she were any other girl, she thought harshly as she burst out of Verdant into the cold night air, she’d be in tears by now, but the few tears she had in her had been shed already today. All she wanted to do right now was to find some low life and teach him a lesson. The dull throb in her temples and the small but noticeable tremor in her hands let her know that the last bit of poison was still working its way through her system, and she’d be useless in a fight. Instead, she grabbed the nearest fire escape and hauled herself lightly up to the roof of a neighbouring building.

She’d been sitting for only a few moments when the ring of shoes against the metal of the fire escape caught her attention and she instinctively went into fighting stance, brandishing the small knife she always kept hidden in her boot.

“Relax,” came a familiar voice, and Sara did as the blonde ponytail and bespectacled face of Felicity Smoak popped into view over the edge of the roof.

“How did you know. . .?” Sara began but Felicity cut her off.

“Oh please, after working with Oliver for as long as I have I know not to sneak up on you broody hero types.” She was struggling to get herself up and over the lip of the roof, so Sara stuck her knife back in her boot and went over to help haul her the rest of the way up. “And how did I know you were up here?” Felicity continued as she brushed grime off the front of her dress, “Oliver kind of maybe sort of made me put a tracer on you?” Sara’s shoulders slumped, and she turned away to face over the city.

“I’m not a hero, Felicity. Hell, I’m pretty sure I’m the villain. Looks like Ollie might think that too, if he has to keep tabs on me.” Felicity snorts,

“Yeah, the kind of villain that’ll sacrifice her happiness for her family, and literally die for them. Such a terrible person, you are. Besides, Oliver just didn’t want to lose you again. He cares; he’s just kind of crap at showing it.” Felicity patted the section of roof next to her and said, “Come on pull up a patch of roof and we’ll have some quality girl-girl time.” Cheeks reddening at hearing herself speak she stammered, “I. . .you. . .I mean not girl _on_ girl time, just talking and oh God, I’m going to shut up now.” Sara couldn't help but laugh as Felicity covered her face with her hands. Gently Sara sat, and took Felicity’s wrist to lift it from her face so she could look at the other girl.

“Hey, it’s okay, I knew what you meant.” Sara said.

“I’m sorry, I just have this bad habit of saying the most inappropriate things.”

“It’s fine. I guess Oliver told you then? About Nyssa?” Felicity’s eyes grew impossibly bigger behind her glasses.

“What? No! Although,” she said, pursing her lips, “that does make things a bit clearer. I just, I have really good gaydar. Plus, you said I was cute and I’m pretty sure I’ve caught you checking me out a little.”

It was Sara’s turn to hide her face behind a hand. “Years of being trained in the art of stealth to be an assassin, and I still can’t check a girl out without being obvious.”

“In the interest of full disclosure, I wasn’t exactly sure if it was checking out or sizing up until right about now.” Felicity said. Sara chuckled a little at that.

“Maybe a bit of both?” She said, then sighed, picking up a piece of gravel from the roof and tossing it into the alley below. “I’m just wondering if I made the right choice.”

“By checking me out?” Felicity asked.

“Ha, no. That was definitely the right choice, you are very cute.” Sara gently nudged Felicity’s shoulder with her own. “No, I’m wondering whether I should have done what I did tonight. You weren’t there for most of it, but the look on her face. . .”

“Whose face? Your mother’s, Laurel’s?”

“Yes, Laurel’s. Laurel’s and Nyssa’s. I broke both their hearts tonight. In different ways, but I still hurt them. God, Laurel is so angry at me and I don’t think she’s wrong about it. And Nyssa, I have never seen her like that. I did that. I put that look on her face. I might as well have put a dagger in her heart the way she looked at me when she released me.” Sara paused to wipe at her eyes angrily. Of course the tears would decide to start falling again now, of course they would. “And the worst part is that I lied to her.”

“Lied about what?”

“Well, I didn’t lie exactly, but I used past tense when I wanted to use the present. I told her I loved her when the truth is I still do. I didn’t even realise it until now but I still do. But there’s no way she would have let me go if she knew that. Nyssa would move Heaven and Earth for the person she loves. I could never have convinced her to let me stay. Now I’m wondering if I should have let her convince me to go.”

“Sara,” Felicity placed her hand on Sara’s arm, her cold fingers felt like an anchor, tethering Sara to the present. “You would have died to keep from going back there. I think going back just might have killed you anyway.”

“You’re right. What little soul I have left wouldn’t have lasted much longer. I know that. But saying goodbye, I think that killed a little piece of my soul as well.”

“Well, for what it’s worth, I’m glad you stayed.” Felicity said.

“Thank you.” Sara answered. The two women sat in silence for a moment, wind playing with the blonde strands of their hair.

“Sara,” Felicity said, breaking the silence.

“Yes?” she replied

“Did Laurel kick you out?”

“Yes, yes she did.”

“Well,” Felicity hesitated, “all I have is a one-bedroom, but it has a super comfy couch if you needed a place to crash.”

“That would be great actually.” Sara smiled. “Should we get going then?”

“Sure,” Felicity answered. “Umm, one more thing.”

“Yeah?”

“I think I might need some help getting down from here.” Sara laughed.

“You can hack into the FBI facial recognition database, but you can’t climb down a fire escape?”

“Hey, you have your strengths, I have mine. But no, I’ve recently discovered I have a thing about heights.”

“No problem, Felicity, you’ve helped me tonight, more than you know. I think I can give you a little hand down a ladder.” Felicity sighed in relief.

“Oh good. I had no idea what I was going to do if you decided to leap tall buildings into the night while I was still up here all by myself.” Sara stood up, and offered a hand to help Felicity stand too. “Come on, hero,” Felicity said, “let’s go home.  



End file.
